


Into The Abyss

by HyperKey



Series: DBH Oneshots [5]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Drowning, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-12 03:24:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15330666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperKey/pseuds/HyperKey
Summary: Connor is overpowered by a weirdly strong human and lands in a rather scary situation.





	Into The Abyss

**Author's Note:**

> ....you have no idea how many oneshots about drowning i have buried in my hard drive. 25? more? from all fandoms i've ever been in.  
>  But this is honestly the first time I'm uploading one.
> 
> Totally bullshitted my way through this. Have mercy, I dunno how androids work.
> 
> Comments and feedback are appreciated, especially with this because i am quite insecure about it.

The second of sailing through the air after the heavy weight of the giant human barreled into him, was long enough to compute several outcomes of the situation. There was a body of water. And there was a patch of concrete. Hitting either of them would be unpleasant, but he would likely still be able to function.

What he hadn’t been able to calculate before it happened, was that the man who had shoved him was going down with him, eyes fierce, determined to _kill_ if he had to. He was huge, taller than Hank, muscular, strong. So much stronger than any human Connor had ever encountered. He had overwhelmed him in seconds, attacked him from behind, almost crushed his rib-cage with the sheer force of his arms, Connor almost didn’t believe that this man was human.

But when he bashed his head into the suspects nose, to get him to let go, he bled red.

And now they had been crashing off a balcony. Connor felt his legs catch the edge of the pool, a sickening sound, accompanied by a blast of errors and then water. Cold water all around him and the hands of the human clawing tightly into the sockets of his shoulders.

He didn’t doubt that the man was capable of tearing his arms off.

The human was engulfed in water, but his determined gaze stayed. Connor didn’t need to breathe, he just needed to wait. The human would have to get up for air in the next thirty seconds to one minute. Most humans couldn’t hold their breath for longer than that.

But this man was something else. He hoped Hank wouldn’t show up, this man could kill hank, break his spine like a toothpick. Why was he so damned strong?

Connor tried to get the man to loosen his grip, but it only got tighter. He couldn’t see properly through the blaring errors. His optics weren’t made for underwater maneuvers.  One hand loosened, Connor immediately moved, grabbed the man’s shirt, tried to push him back. Then a hand clasped around his throat.

There was no use in trying to choke him. Did the human know that? He didn’t have to breathe. But that man knew what he was doing, had been the whole time. He knew how to take down androids, and Connor tried to escape the unforgiving grip on his throat as the man’s thumb felt for something in  the delicate wiring. A nerve that would cause a reflex that Connor would not be able to prevent.

It had been implemented long ago, in older models and kept for newer models too. A reflex to expunge foreign material. This would be his demise.

The man found the switch, pierced his thumb into it, and as the reflex activated Connor cursed in his mind.

His mouth opened, and the air in his lungs escaped, immediately to be filled with the pool water all around him.

Errors flashed, screamed. The respiratory system fighting to expel the substance, but unable to do so. He could stay online through this as long as the water didn’t get into other systems. It would take two minutes at most before that happened. The man however, seemingly wasn’t concerned about anything. He pressed a fist into Connors shirt, just below the pump regulator. Had he miscalculated that movement?

But as the pressure built with the man pressing harder and harder, Connor realized he was trying to burst thirium lines. If that happened help would never arrive in time before he shut down. Panic filled him then, through all the errors and the wild warnings telling him to remove the foreign substance.

He twisted, unable to build enough strength to get the man off of him. The errors made him miscalculate the speed and strength needed to his him, and his efforts were easily shrugged off. Then he hand flew back to his stomach, the man suddenly stopped, and a cloud of red spread around him.

It too Connor two seconds before he finally understood that someone had shot the man in the head. Relieved to be freed he struggled to get back up, only to be stopped when his artificial lungs finally decided to give in to the pressure building and couldn’t hold against the onslaught anymore.

He felt the control over his body slip, unable to react to the hands that gripped him, unable to determine who had grabbed him and was pulling him out of the water.

 

Hank had never seen someone overpower Connor that fast, he had never seen a Human being overpower any android that fast, especially not completely unarmed. He had also never seen a human being willingly tackle an android off the third floor and into a fucking pool. Hank had needed too long to get down the stairs, he wasn’t planning on breaking his legs.

But when he finally reached the two, the fight seemed already over. Connor was pinned onto the floor of the pool, seemingly unmoving, and the human obviously assaulting him. He aimed and shot. Killing the man on the spot. Fuck the paperwork, his partner was more important.

He saw Connor move, was ready to reach a hand to him and help him up, when his movements suddenly stilled and Hank cursed loudly. Androids couldn’t drown, could they?

He decided not to take risks and reached in, thankful that they had landed quite close to the edge. He grasped Connors jacket, pulled him up and dragged him onto the concrete, then hopes for any reaction.

His eyes were closed, LED flickered red once. Twice. Hank’s heart skipped. The LED lit up again.

“Connor!” he hissed shook his partner slightly. The android didn’t react. Most likely couldn’t react.

_Shit, what was he supposed to do?!_

Hank grabbed his phone, DPD’s technicians were on speed dial. He yelled at the AI in it to call them as he placed the device next to his partner and contemplated what the hell he was supposed to do. What the hell he could even do!

“Hank, again?” a female voice sounded next to him.

“Shut the fuck up and listen, he got tackled into a pool, I fished him out but he doesn’t react!” Hank shouted at his phone. Her name was Cindy. She was good at her job, had never let Connor down yet.

“What’s the LED say?”

“Red. Blinks on and off every few seconds, tell me what the fuck I need to do!”

“Send me your location.”

Hank snarled, turned away from his partner to press a button to reveal his position. He was glad for that function. 

“Did any water get into his systems?” The woman asked. Hank hated her for always being so calm.

“I don’t know.”

“Okay, I want you to place your right hand around his throat.”

“What?”

“Do it. I tell you why in a second.” Cindy ordered.

Hank growled but did at told. “Done, now what?”

“There’s a small nub you should feel if you press into the side of his throat with your thumb. Push it hard when you feel it.”

“What’s that gonna do?”

“It will activate a purge of foreign substances.”

The Lieutenant snarled and ran his thumb across the skin of his partner. He could feel a small bump if he pressed harder into it. Something about the whole thing felt so incredibly inhuman to him. But his partner as no human. We was deviant, but his body remained a machine, no matter how lifelike it looked.

“We’ll be there in ten, Hank.” Cindy announced.

Hank didn’t care when he pressed the button as hard as he could.

The reaction was immediate. Whatever copious amount of water had entered the android’s lungs bubbled up with a horrifying sound. Hank knew he would not forget it fast. It sounded like a choking human and it freaked him out. He had never heard such a sound from his partner.

Out of a reflex he turned Connors head to the side, watched as water kept flowing. Connors body shuddered, the whine of something reached Hank’s ears. Had that sound come from Connor?

“Hank you still there?” Cindy asked then.

“I did what you said, Jesus there was a shit ton of water inside! He’s _still_ not reacting, Cindy.”

“LED?”

“Still red, still blinking.” Up until now Hank hadn’t really thought about it, adrenaline too high to focus on anything but the current situation.

But now it was coming down. He was started to feel exhausted and the initial panic he had felt over Connor being absolute unresponsive had turned into worry. He was online, that was obvious, but for how long?”

“Try it again. If the LED stops blinking try talking to him.”

Hank snarled, tried again, with similar result, though slightly less water. He wondered what Connor was thinking at that moment, if he was even able to.

He had enough of seeing the kid suffer. He had enough of having to suffer along with him. They needed a vacation. Preferably right away. Hank was fed up with everything at this point. He had wanted to take time off for a while now.

But all of his plans were forgotten when the LED of his partner circled to a solid red and quickly flashed to a spinning yellow.

“Connor?” Hank tried, turned him completely to his side and brushed his thumb over his partners cheek.

He hated how young the android looked, how young and innocent in the sight of constant crime around them. He hated that every time Connor was hurt, he was reminded of Cole.

Connor’s eyes snapped open, unfocused, eyelashes dripping with water, a weak gasp escaped him, swallowed by a sound hank could once more only identify as choking. But Connor didn’t need to breathe. Why was this happening?

The android looked as confused as Hank felt, but that confusion very quickly turned into panic and Hank had to grip his shoulders to keep him from moving. Who knew what systems were damaged and what would get destructed if he moved too much.

“Don’t move.” Hank said, surprised by how soft his voice sounded. “I’m here.” He reassured. “Cindy and Ryan are on their way. What happened?”

Connor tried to answer, but no sound escaped him and hank’s gaze snapped back to his phone. “Hey, he’s trying to talk but I can’t hear him!”

“I know, I know. We’ll fix it. We’re almost there. Tell him we’ll fix it. It’ll be okay.”

Hank grimaced, turned back to his partner. “Heard that?”

A nod answered him.

Hank sighed deeply, idly rubbed his hand over the android’s back. Maybe to reassure him, or to reassure himself. He didn’t really know or care.

“We’re going to take a vacation, kid. And this time you’re not talking me out of it, got that?”

A small nod was all he got as a reply, but that was more than enough for him for now.

He was getting way too old for all of this stress.

 


End file.
